File box and file suspension device therefor

ABSTRACT

A file box and flexible, resilient suspension device therefor in which the flexible, resilient suspension device includes a body portion which is disposed adjacent the inner surface of a side wall of the file box and has flexible, resilient clamping means at its upper end which extends laterally from the said body portion at the outer side thereof and is removably mounted in clamping engagement on and with the upper end portion of a side wall of the file box. The body of the flexible suspension device extends from end to end of the side wall of the file box and has file-supporting means in the form of an inturned supporting arm or flange at its lower end and extending laterally from the said body portion on the inner side thereof. The file members are arranged in vertical parallel relationship in the file box and are removably supported by supporting means arranged at the ends of each file member and which rest on the supporting means at the lower end of the suspension device. The construction of the file box and of the said flexible, resilient suspension device therefor are such that the file box may be closed by means of the cover or lid therefor and the file boxes stacked one upon another without interfering with or damaging or impinging upon the files in the file boxes or the said flexible, resilient suspension devices therefor.

United States Patent Splan FILE BOX AND FILE SUSPENSION DEVICE THEREFOR Primary Examiner-James C. Mitchell Attorney-Charles B. Cannon [151 3,682,522 51 Aug. 8, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT A file box and flexible, resilient suspension device therefor in which the flexible, resilient suspension device includes a body portion which is disposed adjacent the inner surface of a side wall of the file box and has flexible, resilient clamping means at its upper end which extends laterally from the said body portion at the outer side thereof and is removably mounted in clamping engagement on and with the upper end portion of a side wall of the file box. The body of the Hexible suspension device extends from end to end of the side wall of the file box and has file-supporting means in the form of an intumed supporting arm or flange at its lower end and extending laterally from the said body portion on the inner side thereof. The file members are arranged in vertical parallel relationship in the file box and are removably supported by supporting means arranged at the ends of each file member and which rest on the supporting means at the lower end of the suspension device. The construction of the file box and of the said flexible, resilient suspension device therefor are such that the file box may be closed by means of the cover or lid therefor and the file boxes stacked one upon another without interfering with or damaging or impinging upon the files in the file boxes or the said flexible, resilient suspension devices therefor.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures FILE BOX AND FILE SUSPENSION DEVICE THEREFOR This application is a division of applicant's co-pending application, Ser. No. 838,538, filed July 2, 1969 on File Box and File Suspension Device Therefor, now US. Pat. No. 3,614,185 granted Oct. 19,197."

OBJECTS An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved file box and file suspension device therefor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved file box and suspension device therefor for suspending files in vertical-parallel spaced relationship in a file box so that they may be readily inserted into and removed from position of use therein and so that the file box may be closed by applying the lid or cover thereto and the file boxes stacked one upon another without interfering with or damaging or impinging upon the files in the file boxes or the said flexible resilient suspension devices therefor.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a file box embodying the present invention with the cover or lid therefor in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the file box shown in FIG. I with the top cover or lid removed therefrom;

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the file box shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view, partly in section, of the area indicated by the circle marked 4" in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the new flexible, resilient suspension device embodied in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A file box embodying the present invention is shown in the drawing, wherein it is generally indicated at 10, and comprises side walls I], end walls 12, a bottom wall 13 and a removable cover or lid 14 which has depending side flanges 26 and depending end flanges 27. The file box is of the type in which individual file members 15 are suspended vertically in parallel relationship.

However, for the purpose of illustration each of the file members 15 is shown as being provided with a laterally extending supporting arm 23 at each end of each of the file members 15 and each of these supporting arms 23 is shown as including a lower or bottom surface 24 which is provided with a notch or recess 25 (FIG. 4), for a purpose which will be explained presently.

A preferred embodiment of the new flexible, resilient suspension device is generally illustrated at 16 in the drawing, and comprises a generally rectangular-shaped sheet-like body 17 which may be made of any suitable material, such as ferrous sheet metal, aluminum sheet metal, or molded plastic resinous material, which is preferably of a somewhat flexible and resilient nature and is shaped and sized to fit the requirements of the file box 10. The body 17 has clamping means 18 formed integrally therewith at its upper end, and this clamping means 18 includes an outwardly or laterally extending flexible and generally flat, horizontally extending flexible, resilient arm 28 which is formed integrally with the body 17 at its upper end and on the outer side thereof. This arm 28 is adapted to extend over the upper edge portion of the side wall 11 of the file box 10 and has a downwardly and inwardly extending flexible resilient clamping flange 19 which, in use, extends inwardly toward the side wall I l of the file box 10 and is reversely bent downwardly and somewhat inwardly and has an outwardly turned bead 20 at its lower end.

The body 17 of the suspension device 16 also has filesupporting means formed integrally therewith at its lower end and the file-supporting means is shown as having the form of an inwardly curved supporting flange 21 which is disposed on the inner side of the body 17, that is on the side thereof opposite the flexible, resilient, clamping flange 18. This supporting flange 21 tenninates in an inwardly and reversely turned end portion 22. The clamping flange 18 is normally urged, by its own innate resiliency toward the body 17 of the suspension device 16 and thus is urged into clamping engagement with the upper end portion of the side wall 11 of the file box 10 on which the suspension device 16 is mounted.

OPERATION AND USE In the use of the new suspension device 16 the same is formed and shaped of a size generally co-extensive with the end to end length of the side wall 11 of the file box 10 and, with the lid or cover 14 removed from the file box 10, one of the file suspension devices 16 is mounted on the upper edge portion of each side wall 11 of the file box 10 by slipping the clamping means 18-19-20 downwardly over the upper edge portion of the corresponding side wall 11, on the outer side thereof, and with the body 17 and the inturned file-supporting means or flange 21-22 arranged on the inner side of the side wall 11. When the suspension devices 16 are so disposed, the somewhat flexible, resilient body 17 and the flexible, resilient clamping means 18-19-20 resiliently grip the upper edge portions of the side wall 11 and thus retain the suspension devices 16 in position of use on the side walls 11.

When the suspension devices 16 are thus positioned on the side walls 11 the file members 15 may be mounted in position of use in the file box 10 by inserting the notched portions 24 of the supporting arms 23 over the internal file-supporting means or flanges 21-22 of the body 17 of each of the suspension devices 16 so that the file members 15 are suspended from the suspension devices 16 in spaced vertical and parallel relationship, in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

When it is desired to remove the individual file members 15 from the file box 10 this may readily be accomplished by merely lifting the notched supporting arms 23-24 upwardly oil the file-supporting means or flanged portions 21-22 of the suspension devices 16 and then removing the tile members 15 from the file box 10.

As best shown in FIG. 4, when the removable cover or lid 14-26 is disposed in position of use in the body of the file box 10 the body of the removable cover or lid l4 rests flat upon the generally flat horizontally extending arm 28 of the generally U-shaped clamping means 18 with the depending side flanges 26 of the cover or lid 14 fitting closely against and in bearing relationship with the depending arms 19-20 of the generally U- shaped clamping means 18.

It will be noted that the new suspension devices 16 are relatively simple and economical in design, construction and manufacture and may be readily attached to and used with any file box of the type indicated, or file boxes of similar construction, and with file members of the type shown or file members of similar construction.

it will also be noted (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4) that in the use of the new suspension devices 16, the cover or lid 14 of the tile box 10 may be readily applied to the body of the file box, over the generally flat, horizontally extending arms 18 of the suspension devices 16, to close the latter, and that the thus closed file boxes 10 with the files 15 thus suspended therein, may be stacked one upon another without interfering with or damaging or impinging upon the tile 15 in the lower file boxes or the suspension devices 16 therefor.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, that the present invention provides a new and improved file box and file suspension device therefor having the desirable advantages and characteristics and accomplishing its intended objects including those hereinbefore set forth and those which are inherent in the invention.

I claim:

1. A file suspension device for suspending individual file members in a spaced vertical, parallel relationship in a file box which includes side walls having upper edge portions. end walls, a bottom wall, and a removable top wall or cover, each of the said file members having an outwardly and laterally projecting supporting arm attached thereto, and each of the said file members including a lower edge portion having a notch formed therein, said file suspension device comprising a. a sheet-like body member adapted to be disposed on the inner side of one of the said side walls of the said file box, and extending between the end thereof; said sheet-like body member having I a lower end portion;

. a flexible, resilient clamping member, generally U shaped in cross section formed integrally with the said body member on the upper end thereof and projecting laterally from the said body member at one side thereof and adapted to resiliently grip the upper edge portion of one of the said side walls of the said file box;

c. a file-supporting flange member formed integrally with the said body member at the lower end portion thereof and on the side thereof opposite the side of the said body member from the side thereof on which the said flexible, resilient clamping member is arranged; and

. the said file supporting flange member extending laterally away from the said body member and being curved angularly upwardly and having an upper end portion extending angularly inwardly toward the said sheet-like body member and adat t ro' t'nt e 'd ochinths'd sup r t ing 'm f e ai fil m m er to subpbit the said file member in position of use in the said file box. 

1. A file suspension device for suspending individual file members in a spaced vertical, parallel relationship in a file box which includes side walls having upper edge portions, end walls, a bottom wall, and a removable top wall or cover, each of the said file members having an outwardly and laterally projecting supporting arm attached thereto, and each of the said file members including a lower edge portion having a notch formed therein, said file suspension device comprising a. a sheet-like body member adapted to be disposed on the inner side of one of the said side walls of the said file box, and extending between the end thereof; said sheet-like body member having
 1. a lower end portion; b. a flexible, resilient clamping member, generally U-shaped in cross section formed integrally with the said body member on the upper end thereof and projecting laterally from the said body member at one side thereof and adapted to resiliently grip the upper edge portion of one of the said side walls of the said file box; c. a file-supporting flange member formed integrally with the said body member at the lower end portion thereof and on the side thereof opposite the side of the said body member from the side thereof on which the said flexible, resilient clamping member is arranged; and d. the said file supporting flange member extending laterally away from the said body member and being curved angularly upwardly and having an upper end portion extending angularly inwardly toward the said sheet-like body member and adapted to project into the said notch in the said supporting arm of the said file member to support the said file member in position of use in the said file box. 